XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

I just sent two emails (one to the rep I ordered from and one to tech support) explaining what happened and asking for a replacement. I doubt they will help me, but a girl can dream.

 

Monica, try contacting Terry_B from dell here via private message (I may have the name slightly wrong...) they have helped others out.


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It is DELL-Terry B's Profile - Dell Community at the dell forums, I don't think he is on here. Terry is very helpful

 

Who would be the best person (support area) to talk to about replacing my XPS15 L521x with a different laptop due to the stupidly fault wifi (trying to get an alienware replacement) ? Would Terry_B be a good person to talk to? Thanks.

 

I'm actually good now. I talked to two people today and explained everything and they said all of the replacement parts are refurbs, so it's sometimes a crapshoot on what you get. They also said they would provide feedback for the technician because apparently others have had complaints, but he wouldn't tell me about what exactly. I asked about maybe getting a new bottom panel and putting it on myself and he told me to hold and talk to his supervisor. And now I have a new computer being built from scratch, he gave me his word it would be brand new and tested to make sure it doesn't have any broken parts. He said they would try to upgrade it, but I don't see how they would considering I bought the best configuration, but I'm just happy to not have to deal with this anymore (hopefully).

 

Hey!
There's a new driver update out for Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 .. I'm not sure if this is the WiFi fix for us but I think/hope it's improved ALOT...

Only problem: When trying to download the driver I get the following error..

Sorry, the requested file could not be downloaded.
File not found.

 

It seems like there are several updated drivers out on Dell's site, they have the Dell 6235 and even the Killer N 1202 which I bought separate. I will try to load the driver this evening - but anyone who has already pulled down and loaded - let us know what you find with the new drivers. Thanks.

 

Something weird has happened now. Just running google chrome causes my fan to run and I'm getting lower battery life. Didn't do anything to my computer such as installs or anything. Maybe the thermal paste degraded already?

 

Yeah also found that firefox causes my fan to go crazy once in a while or cause my computer to get hot (sometimes shuts down)... I noticed my battery only charges to 95% now is that normal for like 6 or 7 months?

 

I wonder if the browser-induced utilization is coming from the new-gen gpu-acceleration in some of them ... no direct evidence, just wondering.

 

I cannot download either.

 

Hey guys, quick question, I know this laptop has a 35w CPU, and some of those are socket'd. Could someone please tell me if this has a socketed CPU before I pull the trigger on a $799 base model? Thanks

 

Nope, soldered.

 

I'm only getting 97% battery after 4 months of use

 

shouldn't warranty cover a new battery...I hear that new batteries are supposed to hold a charge of 100% for 1 year...

 

Yes warranty will replace the battery, only if it is abnormal wear. Lithium Ion batteries start degrading immediately. I've had my XPS 12 less than a month and it already has a 1% wear level, so now it only holds 99% of the capacity.

 

If you're interested in performance or upgradability in any way I recommend buying a different model of computer.

 

Well I updated to all the new drivers, wi-fi no improvement at all (i am on Windows 8 but with the old 6235 card, attempting to get it replaced with the new one.....) BIOS A13 has (at least for me ) fixed the DVD drive noise whenever you plug an external device into it. No clue what the Intel drivers fixed. So no hurry to update to the new drivers, everything seems normal. Except:

This is totally baffling to me but, I updated to the new drivers and all of a sudden every game that i tried to pay only played in window mode. I Literally spent hours trying to fix it doing any thing i could think of (re installing Nvidia drivers, intel drivers, even downgraded to Bios A12 for a while) until I finally did a system restore to before i installed the new drivers which fixed it. Then I installed each new driver one by one and tested after each one and as soon as I install the touch pad driver I get the issue. WHAT! I wouldn't have a clue why the TOUCH PAD DRIVERS would be doing this, your guess is as good as mine.
Just my little story for the day

 

I'm from Germany and I found out that there are several packages available on the German and US Dell Website:

In Germany we aren't able to choose the XPS 15 with GT 630M and/or W7. All versions have the new cpu (3632QM) and gpu (GT 640M) and W8. But the standard version has not the Wifi module Intel 6235. Instead it will be delivered with the Dell 1901 that does not support WiDi.

At the US website the standard modell has the old cpu/gpu with W8 and Dell 1901. The mid size model has the old cpu/gpu and W7 but has the Intel Wifi module (looks like a very old "revision"). At last the high-end version has the new CPU/GPU and the Dell 1901.

For me it looks like the high-end model is sold most in the US and the smallest is the best selling in Germany. So they will be the newest "revision" (unofficial ^^).

I've read several hundred posts in the last days. I'm confused regarding the Dell 1901. I did not found any experiences that confirm a better performance for that model. So why did Dell change the module?

And I did not found out if the display gridlines are a random lack like dead pixels or is the display so poor?

 

There's been no public statement why Dell changed the wifi card specification. A person could make an argument that by changing the hardware base and drivers used for the wifi it could reduce or eliminate contention or interference with other Intel components in the machine. In practice, the change of behavior is minimal, if any. There has been more consistent change of behavior by people using the Bigfoot Killer-N card in the machine (myself included) however it's still not a complete or reliable fix - for example while my machine with the Killer-N works pretty well (within range) to my DLink DIR-655 router, it works HORRIBLY with the Apple Airport Extreme.

Seems like "random luck" in that there are definitely some defective units in the production pipeline, but the display Dell has chosen for the unit is at best not as well liked as some other (even others used within Dell).

 

I am looking at putting a vinyl sticker on the lid of my laptop. I was looking at the circular dell logo... Anyone know if the logo is easily removed?

Thanks

 

I just put a sticker over the dell logo. The logo looks more than skin deep, if you get my meaning.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

You can't remove the logo. It's machined into the aluminum and painted over with black paint. You can probably remove the paint but you'll scratch the aluminum trying.

 

Are the headphones working for you now? I haven't upgraded from A12 to A13 yet because of the issue you reported. Any luck now?

 

New touchpad drivers really mess with scrolling. Trying to scroll up makes me go all the way to the bottom of the page randomly. Also why is there still no 2 finger tap?

 

2 finger tap works fine with current drivers for mine. Also scrolling.


Sent from my brain using neurons fueled by glucose

 

The generic synaptics touchpad driver is much more stable for me than Dell's.

I remember using two finger tap on a link in Chrome with Dell's drivers did not bring up the context menu (even though a two finger tap on the desktop would). Meanwhile, Synaptics two finger tap always works for any given scenario. The reason I ended up looking for an alternative driver though is because of the palm recognition - using Dell's driver my mouse would (depending on the sensitivity) either jump around sporadically when another finger or part of my hand touched the touchpad, or would stop moving completely when another finger or part of my hand touched the touchpad. Try tweaking with the settings first, and if it doesn't work, try using the generic driver instead.

 

I was on the generic but switched back to Dell after seeing it was a higher revision but alas it was a lie and it lacks more futures than the generic. The Dell driver with two finger tap never worked for me.

I just got it to work by making some adjustments to the registry.

Although I still don't know how to enable zones with the Dell driver.
Generic driver will have zones but I don't know how to re-enable right click using the right side of the touchpad.

So there is one missing feature while using either for me.

Each problem can probably be fixed if I knew the right registry to edit and whatnot.

 

so has the range issue been addressed yet?

as for bat life, I get about 3 hours on power saver with lcd at 30%,,,

 

Yeah my lcd is at 30%. On powersaver and I lost 25% in an hour...

Wifi range issues has not been resolved either.

 

I've ordered mine yesterday. A Dell salesman said by phone that the customer complains stopped since 1 or 2 month and both WiFi modules work like a charm. I will give feedback in a few days.

 

Never trust a dell salesman. They've been saying wifi has been fixed since day 1

 

No problem. If he's a liar I will send it back. Our return policy (regulated by law) allows returns without any costs during 14 days.

 

Poor wifi range is the result of a hardware flaw with the XPS15. This issue will likely not be fixed with this computer unless legal action is brought against Dell.

I personally plan to ask for a replacement machine once a new XPS comes out.

 

Did anyone testet do replace the antennas? A pair of N-Draft Tyco Antennas costs < $10.

 

The antennas are buried in the display, which does not appear easily rebuild able.

You are welcome to do so and post a picture blog though.




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You mean the display is glued to the housing? Then I will find an other free space

Did someone documented a teardown or knows where dell has hidden the drawings?

Pictures will follow, but first.. where is my XPS.

 

I don't know that it's glued, it may just be hard to get to the screws, there's not much, almost no, bezel after all.

The user manual has a tear-down of the bottom part, good info for disassembly (including replacing the screen assembly), but it does not include tearing down the screen assembly itself.

I have not heard of a more in depth tear-down.

 

Updated to lastest dell wifi drivers. Getting terrible speeds. Worse than my original drivers. Might do a rollback

 

Dell driver for Killer-N works fine, for me.

With 5 Ghz connection getting 16 Mbps down 20 Mbps up, easily 10-15 meters or more from the acccess point (not in the same room).

 

found something but without good ending:

Was haltet Ihr vom Dell XPS 15 (L521X) - Schade die haben leider kein...

 

Which Module are you using?

 

I'm still on intel 6235 drivers. Rolled backed driver but the update kind of ruined it. getting terrible speeds and connectivity now.

Perhaps I can get dell to replace my wifi card

 

Probably the Bigfoot Killer N 1202

 

Is anybody experiencing a slight but constant CPU load on their L521x? Mine is only a month old with Windows 8, A13 BIOS and the all of the current Dell drivers. Ever since I got this laptop, in Task Manager there's a "System Interrupts" process that constantly has a 6-15% cpu load.

 

I was given the killer n1202 from dell to replace the 6235. I now get the full connection speed at close range, and even my local transfer speed is around 23mbs but I still cannot go further than about 15 feet without significant wifi loss . if they make a new system and the wifi is fixed, they should replace current systems with that one right? im so tired of not getting wifi because of range at tim hortons,starbucks school! when my cell phone easily gets 4/5 bars...

 

How did you get it? Did you ask terry b?

 

I have had my XPS 15 for about 2 months now and have been having a weird issue. I use this computer at work and if i lock the screen and come back 5 or minutes later, the fan has kicked on quite a bit and is quite noisy but the minute i unlock it quiets back down. I am not processing anything while the computer is locked which really puzzles me why the fan would be on so high. Since this is in an office it is quite noisy. I am trying to figure out if this is could be a Windows 8 issue or a device issue. Anybody have any thoughts. Other than this issue this machine has been great.

 

Killer-n 1202

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Elvis: I would not expect a replacement with next year's model ... I am not sure that is a reasonable expectation.



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